Governor signs Executive Order No. 30 Establishing the New York 2010 Census Complete Count Committee
Governor David A. Paterson has signed Executive Order No. 30, establishing the New York 2010 Census Complete Count Committee. The Committee will raise awareness of the 2010 Census and will work to maximize the participation of all New Yorkers. New York Secretary of State Lorraine Cortés-Vázquez kicked off the State’s 2010 Census Complete Count Campaign today at an event in the State Capitol.“It is critically important for the future of New York that we assure a complete and accurate count of New York’s population in the 2010 Census,” Governor Paterson said. “Federal estimates suggest that more than 202,000 New Yorkers were not counted in the 2000 census – we can and we must do better. That is why I have instructed my administration to do everything possible to ensure a comprehensive count. This campaign is a real partnership between government, community, business and religious organizations. All New Yorkers must be counted.”
The census count is used to determine each State’s congressional representation for the next ten years and to establish new boundaries for congressional, State legislative and many local government districts. The federal government uses census data to allocate more than $400 billion in federal funds annually for community programs and services, such as education, housing and community development, health care, transportation and more. State, local and tribal governments use census information for planning and to allocate funds for new school construction, libraries and other public buildings, highway safety and public transportation systems, new roads and bridges, location of police and fire departments and many other projects.
Secretary of State Lorraine Cortés-Vázquez said: “State agencies have a unique opportunity to play a critical role in ensuring a successful count. Every state agency will work to spread the message that completing the Census is easy, safe and important. Furthermore, this campaign will allow us to better coordinate our resources to target efforts at historically undercounted communities -- immigrant, minority and low-income communities in particular. We are truly all in this together.”
Earlier this year, Governor Paterson and leaders of the State Assembly and Senate appropriated funds in the 2009-10 State Budget for services and expenses necessary for community outreach to assist in reducing the undercount in the 2010 federal Census. This program will provide grants to fund public education, community outreach and other activities targeted at hard-to-count and low response rate populations for promoting awareness of the 2010 Census, improving Census questionnaire mail back rates and encouraging cooperation with Census takers.
The Complete Count Committee comprises the heads of all State agencies and authorities. New York Census Action Council will coordinate the Committee’s work. The Council comprises the Secretary of State, who will serve as the Chair; the Governor’s Counsel; the Governor’s Deputy Secretary for Intergovernmental Affairs; the Commissioner of Economic Development; the Commissioner of Children and Family Services; the Commissioner of Health; the Commissioner of Housing and Community Renewal; the Commissioner of Labor; the Director of the Lottery; the Commissioner of Motor Vehicles; the Commissioner of Temporary and Disability Assistance; the Commissioner of Transportation; and the Chancellor of the State University of New York.
For more information on the New York 2010 Census Complete Count Committee, please visit http://census2010.ny.gov/.
